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Space Clearing for Our Hearts

West Fork Trail, Sedona, AZ ~ 2017, Acrylic on Canvas

Sometimes, if I can’t get to the forest, I paint a memory of one. For this I rely on old photos of places I’ve been that have brought me serenity and joy, allowing a higher guidance to come through. Nature gives us the opportunity to be quiet, to reconnect with the earth, ourselves and our relationship with each other. Here we can listen to the voice of our soul. Julia Cameron* expresses it so well when she says, “…we clear space in our lives in order to center and clear space in our hearts. The soul’s voice, the voice of guidance, then ventures into the clearing we have created for it.”

When I paint a memory of a place and how I was feeling at the time, that energy goes into the painting. If I am successful in that, the energy of the feeling goes back out to the viewer who is sensitive to the energy within the painting.

West Fork trail is in a magical forest – it takes you through meadows, wooded areas and streams deep within it. The painting, West Fork Trail, captures a small part of my journey during my first exposure to Sedona’s energy back in 2004. The memory of it and this particular spot was what I wanted to express in this painting. It hangs in my living room and I can view it from my couch and fall into it’s peacefulness whenever I need to.

Going farther back in time, is this view of a piece of the Hudson River.

Meadow on the Hudson ~ 2015 (Acrylic on two 4×5 canvases)

Meadow on the Hudson was an experiment in a continuous painting on two small canvases. It depicts a little scene from when I lived in Massachusetts and took a trip in a vintage red Thunderbird convertible with a passionate artist friend who I was in love with at the time. For me it has a light hearted memory attached to it, with much joy in breathing in this scene in the moment we were there. A painting can be small and still draw you in to a deeper place.

Finding Serenity captures a moment when the peace of nature with woods and river brings us back to center. We can breath deeply and let go. We can reconnect and ground ourselves, remembering the qualities of life that matter most. One on one time with my daughter was a precious moment.

Finding Serenity 2016 ~ Acrylic on canvas

Take time to nurture yourself. Treat your creativity as a spiritual practice, drawing from your authentic self by tuning in and painting intuitively from the inspiration you find within yourself. The joy of expression through painting is an endless process that keeps on giving.

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Wolf as a Spiritual Pathfinder

Exploring the Wolf Animal Totem came from a gradual pull from my old friend, Spirit Wolf, who showed up in several visions during recent acupuncture* sessions. Wolf energy stayed with me so strongly in such a patient, protective and loving way, that it became a bit of an obsession. Channeling this energy into painting seemed like the only way I could make sense of understanding how and why this powerful energy was manifesting in my life right now.

I strongly feel that art embodies the vibration of the artist. The energy of what I paint is embodied into the subject and it often jumps out at me in amazing ways and affects those who can relate to the art piece on a personal level. Artists paint from a broader perspective when they are connected to their higher muse–art is a bridge from this higher perspective to the canvas. When I paint intuitively, I feel the tapping of that higher place and allow it to flow as I paint. If you can’t paint what you feel deeply inside, walk away from the canvas until you can. Wait for the flow and it will pop out into your expression on canvas. I always find this process amazing. It was in this way that I started my wolf paintings journey.

Aspects of wolf spirit that resonate strongly within me are: Strong connection with instincts or intuition; High intelligence, wisdom; Loyalty and communication; Deep desire for freedom. It is these aspects I feel in my life that are pushing me to strengthen my intuitive side and utilize my empathic nature to follow a new path. The old ways of being no longer work for me. The attributes of wolf spirit are helping to show the way by showing up in specific moments of my life with their messages. Wolf is the pathfinder. My wolf showed up waiting patiently, watching from the sidelines in a protective sense, reminding me that he is there when I need him. He also showed up “in my face” asking me to focus! Straying off my path is a habit of mine….staying focused, aware, and open to wisdom in an intuitive way will show me the new path that is calling me.

The Painting Process

My inspiration for my wolf paintings came from photos from the internet, (photographers unknown, but am grateful for the inspiration they gave me). I wanted my first painting to reflect the wolf I was reunited with during a shamanic healing journey vision in the early 1990’s. To this day, I can close my eyes, feel it’s fur and his energy as well as the deep emotion of that reunion. It was a very powerful journey. Spirit Wolf, for me, embodies the wolf of that journey.

Spirit Wolf ~ Acrylic on Canvas 12×16

Lady Gray Wolf

Balancing the energies, my second wolf painting has a more feminine quality. This spirit wolf asked to be called “Lady Gray”. She possesses a sweet elegance as she surveys her world in the cold dawn of a winter’s morning, greeting the potential of the new day. All very significantly symbolic for me! My daughter, visionary artist, Kate Langlois, said this of her, “She feels like she is so present and in tune with her innate nature of her existence, her divine duty/dharma!”

Lady Gray Wolf ~ Acrylic on Canvas 12×16

This painting journey had many lessons on many levels. Each subject was a huge challenge and wonderful lesson in painting fur! Capturing the spirit of the wolf that I was feeling was dependent on that flow from the higher perspective. You can feel it when it clicks in, and keeps you going until you allow the painting to tell you when it’s finished.

May you be inspired in your creative journey; challenge yourself – you’ll be amazed what you can do!

*Special thanks to David Wolff Filipello, L.Ac, whose kindred spirit, shared wisdom and healing sessions have helped reunite me once again with the wolf spirit energy expressed here. The journey never ends.

Stenciled Floor Makes a Unique Statement

The Canvas is the Floor

Stenciling a floor in a Mill Valley, CA home was a challenging opportunity to help recreate a unique space for the owner, who brought the New England love of a stenciled house with her to California. The kitchen floor had been previously stenciled years ago, but was now faded and worn. I was approached to do the job through Monarch, my daughter-in-law’s store in Mill Valley, where I applied decorative stenciled art to the walls when the store opened 12 years ago. The style of the stenciled art in the store compliments the Indian imports that are sold there. As in the store, the stenciling in this home compliments the gambral roofed style of this lovely early 1900’s California home.

The floor was prepped – sanded and painted a creamy white by a professional contractor, ready as a primed blank canvas waiting to be filled.

The Floor is not a Wall ~ the Challenges of Floor Stencilling

Prep and planning is key prior to applying a design to any floor, while accounting for any oddities of shape, doorways and built in cabinets that might throw off careful measurements on graph paper. I had photos of the old floor, the old stencils to work with and former pattern drawing from the previous stencil artist, plus my own rough graph paper pattern layout to help guide me in recreating the stenciled pattern on the main floor and two hallways. If I thought a floor is as easy as stencilling a wall, my naive assumption in stencilling my first floor, quickly faded.

The borders came first, then numerous careful measuring and planning each row was calculated as I went, adjusting and compensating for areas of the room that jutted from the wall. The project took 7 hours to complete the main area and one hall the first day, plus 2 more hours on a separate day to complete a small back hall that flowed into the kitchen area. The first day’s work was almost a non-stop stretch, resulting in lots of muscle aches from hunching over the stencils or kneeling along the floor. I realized the next day that I should have taken more breaks to stretch, drink water and eat during the 7 hour stretch! Instead, I worked in a rather obsessed fashion, totally absorbed in the creative and fun process of it.

As Sandra Buckingham notes in her book, Stencilling, A Harrowsmith Guide: “Measuring contributes the mental anguish to floor stenciling; working on your hands and knees provides the physical punishment. The job always takes much longer than you think it will.”

Ultimately, the most important part of stencilling a floor is the planning ahead that keep problems to a minimum. Read as much as you can about other stencil artists’ experiences; learn from their mistakes as well as your own. In spite of careful prep you may still wind up eyeballing some sections so all remains looking balanced. This happened in my case. The pattern absorbs any small irregularities with spacing and the placement of furniture further breaks up any notice of those irregularities. In the end I felt fortunate that it all worked out. I was pleased with the outcome, and most importantly, so was the home owner.

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Live Worms Gallery Features Durga Art Collective

San Francisco, CA ~ November 18, 19 & 20

I am delighted to once again participate in this show as part of the Durga Art Collective. Opening night reception is November 18th. Please join us to view the work, meet the artists and celebrate the diverse creativity of their artist passions!

On April 29, 30 and May 1, 2016 at the Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco, you will have the opportunity to experience the strength and creative collaboration of women’s talent in the performing arts of Dance, Music, Fine Art and Creative Discussion. Between performances A & B, in the visual arts gallery, you can enjoy work from three women artists, of whom I am one, as well as a panel discussion facilitated by Bay Area arts professionals. Joining me in the gallery presentation of their work is visionary artist, Kate Langlois and artist, art educator, philanthropist, Nalyne Lunati.

WAH! Festival is a platform for diverse choreographers, musicians and visual artists creating contemporary work through a feminist lens, including those who identify on the gender continuum as woman. WAH! Fest, seeks to highlight the work of women in the arts, while giving back to the community. For more information and tickets, click on www.wahfest.com or on Facebook.

About the painting, Emergence into HERE: I took my artist imagination, inspired by a photo of CALI & CO dancers, and painted a scene of arrival into HERE from the cosmos. They are startled into awareness of higher consciousness of self, while colors of creativity burst and dance around them out of the void.

I am very thrilled and honored to be part of this production, which is rather a family affair of talented people: WAH! Fest creators/presenters are Christine Cali, choreographer/director, my daughter-in-law along with her husband and my son, Matthew Langlois, musician/director. My daughter, Kate Langlois, a visionary artist, joins me in the gallery. The many talented choreographers, musicians and artists that have been gathered to create this festival make a strong statement of women’s diverse talent in today’s world of art and performance. Please join us to help make this first annual event a rousing success of support and stimulation for continuing creativity!

Journey of Inspired Thought

As 2015 drew to a close, I was in a whirl of crafting and baking for Christmas. Creative painting, on the other hand, was neglected. An empty canvas, which sat on my easel staring out at me usually was enough to spark my imagination. Yet, inspiration was giving me the silent treatment. Then, a photo taken on a whale watching trip in June came into clear focus as painting potential…but “can I do it?” still nagged me into inaction.

In Julia Cameron’s “The Artist Way Every Day”, she writes this excerpt for February 7th: “Out of the notion “I Can” comes the next thought: “I think I will.” The impulse is playful. It is an impulse born of pure faith. The artist has a vision and that vision includes the successful completion of the art he has in mind.”

So I moved into the “I think I will” mode. The photo was of my brother watching dolphins at a ship’s rail, which I playfully dubbed “Old Man and The Sea”. On January 5, 2016, he turned 75 and the desire to honor this milestone was enough to finally turn an idea into action and restore the “I can” to my psyche. I don’t really do portraits of people I know – if I do paint any faces, they are mostly made up out of my imagination in other-worldly, fairy-like or visionary images. I was due for a good challenge and rather pleased with the results–at least everyone knew it was him without a doubt!

“OLD MAN & THE SEA” – Acrylic on Canvas 12/2015

Slow Start Firing Up The Passion in 2016

2016 – My desire was to start this new year off in a whirl of inspiration, but instead I seemed to have muddled through all of January, not producing much or finding that the ideas sifting themselves in my brain fizzled before they had a chance to blossom. Then seemingly out of the blue, I plunged into producing three challenging paintings in a clump of creativity that just burst out of the inner me. I love it when that happens! In the process I am inspired back to this blog, which I have woefully neglected. (I still have plans to revamp this website. I hope to make that a reality in the next few months.)

Recently I had picked up “Cezanne, His Life and Works in 500 Images” at the library, absorbing the feeling of his work. I am drawn to how he portrays serenity and strength. I often look to masters of his era to inspire me and teach when I feel stuck. All artists have dry periods. Try to see it not as a detriment, but a fertile void filled with potential. Many times, journal writing jump starts the process. When I feel a restlessness within the void, I know some creative potential is about to be born – that intuitive spark that fires us up again.

Three of the paintings that grew out of my January void reflect what pulled me at the moment in February. The first of these is an adaption of a photo of Cali & Co dance team called “Emergence into HERE”, inspired by their production of “Be Here Now”. My intent is to portray the surprise of emerging from the cosmos into consciousness of HERE.

This meditative scene from a walk along the Russian River with my daughter, is inspired by two photos strung together to show a bucolic stretch of river. My personal challenge was to portray the feeling of serenity in nature we both experienced.

“Finding Serenity” ~ acrylic on canvas, 2/2016

Sometimes even a fashion magazine inspires a theme for a painting, especially if you don’t have access to a live model. The inspiration for “Study in Blue” came from an ad for artistic tile. A few months back, I took a 3-day workshop on fashion drawing to help improve my skills in figures. This painting was a fun challenge for me to capture a pose, muscles and skeletal structure of the model. The blue skin makes her unique and I love the drama of it.

“Study in Blue” ~ acrylic on canvas, 2/2016

I have given myself enough successful challenges to keep wanting to push for more. Each painting allows growth into more. Painting in joy and a sense of playfulness brings the best results. If I find myself struggling with a painting, I leave it until I find that inner flow again.

May your creative path for 2016 lead you on an exciting path of self-discovery and expression. Take the road less traveled and see what it reveals to you.

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New Location for Made Local Marketplace & Open House

Manikin Angels Christmas Themed Bunting Flag $55.00

A wonderful group of local artists and crafters who are memers of Made Local Marketplace, will be celebrating their new and bigger space at 529 4th street, Santa Rosa, CA, with an open house Tuesday, December 8th from 5 to 7 pm. The marketplace is a wonderful array of hand crafted items, paintings and photography as well as hand crafted, gourmet food items from the artisans of the North Bay area.

Kelly, Pam and team are just getting started! Additions coming soon to the new Made Local Marketplace….Coffee bar and baked goods from Criminal Bakery and a Maker Lab featuring paper and fiber arts in partnership with The Foundry Creative. You can’t help getting inspired as you wander through their new space!

I’m happy to be among the crafters of the Marketplace, where you will find my upcycled lamps, and textile crafts just in time for holiday shopping. You find a selection of my bunting flags with summer, fall and holiday themes. I dug into my basket of material scraps to create a variety of unique “scrapy ornaments”, that will lend a rustic chic aspect to your Christmas tree. I love the creative challenge of utilizing all those little pieces.

Here is a preview of some of my pieced work ornaments hat you will find at the Marketplace:

Also look for the a variety of bunting flags to add whimsey to your home, vintage camper or RV:

Feeling frustrated, for me, is a precursor to change, leading me to stir the complacent waters into something new. According to the Mayan calendar, July 26th was the beginning of the new year. The full moon showed a brilliant red in my nighttime sky, the result of ash from a large wildfire–it was an astounding sight that makes you stand still to gaze in wonder. Seven planets are in retrograde. Seers tell us it’s a transitional year and I feel it urging me along. The pushes and pulls of the planets, the moon and personal stage of life, are urging me on to higher plains, questioning the “no direction” I seem to be circling in, and wanting to break free from an old part of myself that holds me back. Sometimes we just have to stop, quiet the mind and listen with our heart. So that is what I am going to do.

I’d like my art to reflect that breaking out by letting my hand loose to explore a different type of expression. Some of my visionary art is part of that, but I’d like to take it further, exploring more with color, texture and shapes to capture a mood moment, or set a tone.

NOW is the time to give myself space to recreate by taking some downtime. When it feels right, do it now. I will begin by cleaning up my art room, –it feels overgrown with junk— then smudging it with sage to clear out energy. (A drum roll and an little more gumption to get started please!) This web site is wanting reconstruction – stay tuned for that. Blogs may be sporactic, but my intention is to share my journey to inspire others to keep reaching out to their creative muse, listening to and seeing what wants to present itself into a creative expression. You may find it in the most ordinary places, like your own back yard!

Towers Gallery – Cloverdale, CA – The new 3-month show starts this month. My art will be on display there for August only, then I will be pulling out as a member artist for a while to concentrate on new material.

Current Projects – I have a 12-floor cloth project going – which may take some new modern twists from what I’ve done before. Three done, nine to go! They are quite time-intensive, but I am passionate about creating them–that’s the important ingredient. Here is a sneak peek at one of them.

Ovals and Rectangles 3X5 Canvas Floor Cloth $950.00

I just picked up a Wabi-Sabi art workshop book by Serena Barton, Check out her web site at www.sarenabarton.com. It’s a fabulous little book filled with techniques. It is just what I need to encourage myself to express in a new way and just have fun as she describes it, “embracing imperfection and celebrating happy accidents”!

New Paintings at Towers: I’ve just completed a few new paintings that will be included at Towers Gallery this month. They are quick studies of subjects I love – flowers, the ocean, and butterflies which join some others from the previous show. The new exhibit officially starts August 15th, but most new hangings are up now.

Stillness brings clarity and from there we create what our heart sees.

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A new exhibit has started at the local Towers Gallery in the town where I live. Featured in this new show are wonderful artists between 80 and 100 years of age. The show is testimony to that creative spark that never ends and thrives – if you chose to let it. I have met a few of these artists, who are as vibrant as their paintings. They are my role models, they keep me inspired to keep creating art no matter what, and for however long I am on this earthly journey.

The new gallery is smaller, but still brims with a diversity of artistic expression ~ jewelry, fused glass, fabric art, metal sculpting, watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings, mixed media, and pottery fill the spaces in a more intimate setting. If you are in the area, I hope you can stop by to meet the artists at May 30th’s reception ~ or anytime you are on your way north to the coast or south to San Francisco, I invite you take a diversion from that 101 freeway to Cloverdale Boulevard.

Eight of my paintings are also on display. Come see them close up and just maybe you’d like to bring one home to enhance the ambiance of your living space. I paint subjects that intuitively speak to me in color, or form or landscape, and reflect my experience and appreciation for life around me and within me.

IN THE STUDIO ~ NEW PROJECT IN PROGRESS~ Old Craft Resurrected

STAY TUNED for completion of my 12 canvas floor cloths project! I’ve long been thinking of getting back to a passion of mine – canvas floor cloths, which I started making while living in Sedona, AZ. An old craft brought from England by the colonists, these have a modern touch – amazingly durable, and a lovely, unique accent for your living space. Thinking about it long enough, I’m back into action making these and am reminded how much I love to create them – you can say I am on a quite a time-intensive ambitious roll and loving it! Two complete and 10 on the design board to go. (Ref: Nov 17, 2014 blog and click on tab “stencil art” in the main menu)

You may contact me directly about any of these paintings. I am also open to commissions for paintings or canvas floor cloths Email me at mcdoglio44@gmail.com.

Flipping pages through a high society fashion magazine on a lazy afternoon, the unexpected and surprising inspiration for a painting came from a pretty, pouty young woman with a far away look, dressed in Channel Haute Couture, and to my mind, on the edge of rebelling into her own unique womanhood. Her unruly auburn curls made a statement of her individuality as they spilled out onto her shoulders in defiance of taming. I felt compelled to capture the essence of her porcelain face as she gazed out at her fantasy world from under an enormous black, veiled hat.

The Feminine Mystique. With artistic license, I borrowed from the magazine image to portray the feeling I wanted to present, which is open to interpretation by the viewer to create their own story about her. She has an aura of mystery that intriques and draws you into wanting to know more. She has the charisma, the glamour, but lets you know that deep down, she is much more than a pretty face.

As you expand into your creativity, expect to be inspired in unexpected places. It is always a delight to find your muse leading you to push the envelope as you attempt to express your inner vision on the canvas. Trust your intuitiveness. I often put a blank canvas on the easel and wait for that intuitive pull. I wonder sometimes, if the canvas calls the muse until the energy of the calling reaches my consciousness, giving birth to inspiration. In this painting, I believe it did.